Clarke's Second Law
by tinyrose65
Summary: Rose finds it impossible that her seventh year at Hogwarts has already arrived, bringing with it a new History of Magic teacher. However, this bow-tie wearing professor, an American squib in tow, is being hunted by something lurking in the shadows. When it emerges, Hogwarts will never be the same (Third in Clarke's Laws 'verse).
1. The Final Year

**Title: **Clarke's Second Law

**Author:** tinyrose65

**Summary: **Rose finds it impossible that her seventh year at Hogwarts has already arrived, bringing with it a new, bow-tie wearing professor and his American friend in tow. However, something darker is lurking in the shadows, and when it emerges, Hogwarts will never be the same (Third in Clarke's Laws series).

**Note: **Here it is! The final story in the series! I planned for this to be a short, little thing, but then I actually came up with a proper plot and- well. We'll see how long it turns out. Enjoy!

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_Rose was giggling as she walked along with her two favorite people in the word. One, tall, with black hair and blue eyes and a smile to kill, was laughing outright, too. The other, taller, with the most amazing hair in the universes (in his opinion), and dark eyes, was watching them indulgently. Rose tried to calm herself down, but looking at his expression again- she burst out laughing._

_"It wasn't that funny."_

_"Yes, it was!" Rose gasped, as they walked. "I've never heard of Dumbledore being that confused before!"_

_"You did seem to surprise him," the American pointed out._

_"Well, I'm a very surprising person," the other man drawled. Rose laughed louder at that, thinking of how _appropriate _it was. In fact, she laughed so loud her stomach started to hurt- but, no. It wasn't because of the laughing-_

_Rose stopped short where she was- they seemed to be heading down some sort of side street- and doubled over, groaning. The American was at her side in an instant, one hand on her shoulder, supporting her, the other fluttering around uselessly in concern._

_"Rose? Doll? You okay?" _

_Rose gave him a look that clearly stated that she wasn't okay, but before she could point it out further, she let out another groan, as a set of pain wracked her abdomen._

_"Do something, Doctor!" the American ordered to the doctor. However, the doctor's face was resigned, as though something terrible, inevitable, was happening. Rose's stomach clenched, but this time not in pain. It was in fear._

_"Help me get her to the TARDIS," the doctor said quietly, walking over to support her other side. Rose didn't remember much about the walk back. It was a blur, really, of pain and gasps and step after step after step-_

_Until she found herself in a room, brightly lit by a large blue column, that was oh so familiar to her. It was spinning, though, and slightly muffled at the edges. She let out another gasp of pain as the two men lowered her onto a chair._

_"What's happenin'?" she demanded of the doctor._

_"You're going into labor," the doctor said softly. Rose and the American looked at him, agog._

_"I'm not pregnant!"_

_"Yes, you are," the doctor said. He had never let go of her hand, she noticed. He had it clutched tightly in his, rubbing soothing circles on her palm. "I didn't know at first. How could I? But I had my suspicions. Why do you think we went to see the gangers, Rose? I had to know."_

_"Know what?" the American demanded, his hand moved from her shoulder to her back. _

_"Whether I could be fooled," the doctor. "And I can- and I am so sorry, Rose. But I promise you one thing: I'll fix this. And you'll be alright. Just breathe, and wait for me, please?"_

_"Wait for you?" Rose huffed, squeezing the doctor's hand as another wrack of pain moved through her. "Wait for you to do what?"_

_"For me to get there," the doctor said softly, letting go of her hand. For reasons she couldn't understand, she let out a whimper. This felt too much like good-bye. He said to the American, "Jack. Step back."_

_Jack seemed hesitant, but he did as requested after looking at the doctor's face. The contractions- if that's what they really were- were coming more frequently now, and Rose felt herself gasping for air._

_"Breathe, Rose," the doctor told her softly, as he adjusted something on a gadget that resembled a small, silver wand, the end lit up a brilliant blue._

_"I don't understand," Rose argued, clutching the edge of the chair. "Get _where? _I'm here, with you. I'm right here, doctor."_

_"No. You aren't." The doctor spoke firmly, as though trying to convince himself, too, as though he couldn't trust his very eyes. He pointed the device at her. "You haven't been here in a long time."_

_He pressed something and there was a faint, buzzing sound. Rose felt herself falling as everything went dark. It was like apparating for the first time, only she didn't know where she was going-_

_She opened her eyes, unsure of when she had closed them in the first place. Rose was in a small, white room, in a small bed. There were no windows, no doors. She began to gasp, until she remembered the doctor's advice and forced herself to breathe._

_If Rose had had any breath left, she would have screamed when a small window appeared next to her and a woman with an eye-patch appeared- one that Rose knew from somewhere... she'd been following them, hadn't she?_

_The woman smiled satisfactorily. "You're about ready to pop, aren't you?"_

_Rose didn't understand what she meant, until all of a sudden, the most powerful contraction yet ripped through her-_

_She screamed._

Rose screamed as she woke up, sitting up straight. She grabbed her wand out of reflex, only to remember that it was all a dream. She sighed as she put it down, just in time for her brother, Hugo, to come rushing in.

"What's wrong?" he demanded, looking around as though a Death Eater were hiding under her bed or in her closet.

"Just a bad dream," Rose explained, wiping her sweat from her brow. Hugo relaxed at this, but looked no less sympathetic.

"About what?" he asked, sitting on the edge of her bed. Rose opened and closed her mouth a few times, but no words came out. Finally, she let out a small laugh.

"You know? I have no idea."

"No use worrying about it," Hugo said, standing up again, satisfied that his sister would need no comforting from _him, _thank-you very much. "Now, you better hurry up and get dressed, or we'll be late and won't have time for breakfast." It was then that Rose noticed that her brother was already dressed. She must've overslept.

"Alright," Rose said, sliding out from the bed, flinching as her feet hit the cold floor. "Tell mum and dad that I'll be there in a moment."

Hugo nodded and left, closing the door behind him so Rose could change. Thankfully, Rose had had the sense to pick her clothes the night before and to lay them out. As she changed, though, quickly, because of the time, she couldn't help but stare at the mirror for a moment before she put her top on. Turning this way and that, she looked at her stomach. It was as flat as it had ever been.

"_Rose! Breakfast!" _It was her mum calling from downstairs. She slipped on her shirt and grabbed her wand, knowing that her father would levitate her luggage out when the time came. In the meantime, she took the stairs two at a time and almost tripped into her chair at the breakfast table in her haste.

"Somebody's exhausted," her father laughed. She stuck her tongue out, and then laughed, smiling the enter time.

Her father sighed. "One of these days I really am going to superglue your smile shut."

"Another time, Ron," Hermione admonished. "You need to get their bags to the car."

With an overdramatic sigh, her father stood from his chair and headed to the staircase. It was silly of him to be so annoyed. Getting the bags to the car (one of the few muggle devices her mother insisted they have, much to Hugo's delight) would be easy with the use of a quick levitation spell.

Rose finished her breakfast quickly and turned to Hugo, a smirk growing. "Race you to the car!"

Hugo laughed and launched out of his chair the same time she did, a competitive glint in his eyes. This had been a yearly Weasley tradition for a while, now: breakfast, dad complaining about the bags, racing Hugo to the car, even though she almost _always _won, since, despite her lack of athleticism, she happened to be quite good at running.

(Fat load of good running did in Quidditch, though.)

As she had predicted, she beat him to the car and sat proudly in the back, buckling herself in, as Hugo slid in next to her.

"I'll beat you one of these days!" Hugo exclaimed.

"This was your last chance," Rose pointed out quietly. Hugo blinked, surprise coloring his face.

"It is," Hugo said, awestruck. "I forgot this is- But you'll still come to see _me _off, won't you? I did when I was younger with you."

"' Course I will," Rose assured.

"Of course you'll what?" her mum asked, stepping into the driver's seat and adjusting her mirrors. Her mum always drove. It wasn't that her dad _couldn't -_he technically could, had his license and everything- but after that incident with the Flying Ford Anglia in second year, her mother had never trusted her father behind the wheel of a car. Her father had complained until he was blue in the face, but her mother had simply mentioned a certain Howler and he shut up about it.

"Come to see Hugo off next year," Rose informed both her parents, now in the car and fully buckled in, as they made their way out of the drive and down the street. Her father hummed, pleased.

"I would hope so," her father said. "Next year will be a big one for Hugo, like this one is for you."

"Nervous?" her mum asked.

"Why should I be?" Rose asked with a laugh. Both her parents gave each other knowing looks, and then her father slowly shook his head.

"It's just a big step, after this. Think you're ready for it?"

"Better question," Rose asked. "Do _you?_"

"Oh, absolutely," her father said, without missing a beat. Rose smiled to herself and stared out the window for the rest of the ride, which happened in silence, except for the radio blaring some muggle song that Rose had never heard, but that Hugo was apparently familiar with, as he kept humming along off tune.

Rose had never been more grateful to arrive anywhere as she was that day. There was only so much of Hugo's humming that she could put up with.

They unpacked their bags and made their way inside King's Cross. It was packed as always with Muggles, but nobody seemed to pay them any mind, even though Hugo had his owl. Rose used to bring her cat, who she'd had since she was little, but Daciana had died only a few months ago of old age.

"I wonder where Al and the others are," Rose said, thinking aloud.

"They're probably waiting for us at the platform," Hugo pointed out.

"Yes, and speaking of, we need to hurry!" their mum said, anxiously shuffling them along. She only calmed down when they arrived at the platform, and their bags had been put on the train. Rose didn't see Al, so she assumed her friend (and cousin) was already aboard.

"Oh, Rose," her mum said, pulling her in for a hug, as her father did the same to her brother. Then, they switched, and Rose found herself with her face pressed against her father's clothing. She hugged him back tightly.

"Good luck," he said simply. Rose stood back to see him with tears in his eyes- such a strange thing, since her father so rarely cried- and nodded resolutely.

Then, waving good-bye to her parents, she followed Al and stepped onto the train.

Her seventh year at Hogwarts had finally arrived.


	2. Professor John Smith

**Chapter 2: Professor John Smith**

Rose's favorite part of the year- or at least one of them- was the Start-of-Term Feast. Something about the Great Hall all done up, the first years all wide-eyed with eagerness and fear. This year's feast was especially important, since Rose knew that it would be her last.

After arriving at the Great Hall, Rose separated from Hugo, and she and Al (who had found her on the train) found some seats towards the end of the table, near the professors, with some of their good friends. As they waited for the first years to be walked in, Rose took a look at the professors and noticed that there was a new one sitting up there.

He was young, especially compared to the others, and tall and skinny. His hair was black and shiny, his skin pale, and his eyes were a startling blue. He had a rather pronounced chin, but Rose had to admit that, as far as blokes go, he was still a good looking one.

That's when she noticed something else and nudged Al, who looked at her. She pointed subtly at the new professor and asked, "Is that man wearing a bow tie?"

Al squinted to look and then let out a startled laugh. "I suppose he is. You know how some wizards are, though. Absolutely no dress sense."

"Do you recognize him?" Rose asked.

Al shook his head. "My mum mentioned that they were finally going to force Professor Binns into retirement, so maybe that's his replacement."

Rose didn't say anything, but she had to admit, if this man was Binns's replacement, she'd enjoy her History of Magic class a whole lot more. She noted, "He's a bit young, ain't he?"

"Whatever you're thinking, stop thinking it," Al said, looking at her sharply. Rose stuck her tongue out at him and went back to talking to Shareen and Keisha. Shareen was giggling and throwing her hair over her shoulder, wearing an incredibly flirty face. Oddly enough, it wasn't directed to one of the students, but at a man a bit younger than her parents. He was standing off to the side of the room at the end of the professor's table. Occasionally, he and the bow-tie wearing professor would lean in and whisper things to each other.

Whoever they were, they were clearly good friends.

"Who's that?" Rose asked, referring to the other man.

Keisha said, "The new caretaker, apparently. He's fit, isn't he?"

Rose had to admit that he was rather good-looking (and oddly familiar), but her eyes kept darting over to the new professor. Al noticed and snorted.

"Like mother, like daughter." He was referencing the oft made joke about Hermione and her massive crush on Gilderoy Lockhart in her second year. Rose kicked him in the shins- not hard enough to hurt, obviously, but hard enough for him to scowl and glare at her.

"Welcome all to Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall said, standing up. Rose had seen portraits of McGonagall from back when she taught transfiguration. She might've been older, her hair much grayer, and slightly more feeble looking, but her eyes were no less sharp and her voice no less cutting than before. It was no wonder that the first-years looked a bit intimidated. Rose knew from experience, though, that McGonagall's bark was far worse than her bite and that she truly cared for her students.

"We will begin now with the Sorting," McGongall continued, wasting no time, as always. Rose loved to watch the Sorting. It brought her back to her own first day at Hogwarts and how nervous she was. Some of these first-years looked as though they would be sick.

As the Sorting progressed, Rose's eyes kept darting over to the new professor and caretaker. They both seemed overjoyed at the whole thing. The new professor's eyes never left the ceremony, but, much to Rose's amusement, the new caretaker kept throwing winks to McGonagall. Instead of chastising him, McGongall actually _blushed _at his advances, which Rose hadn't even realized was possible.

It was slightly disconcerting.

By the time the Sorting was over, the new caretaker had flirted with every professor (man or woman) at the feast. Al had begun giving Rose a theatrical eyebrow waggle every time he caught the caretaker doing it. Rose was breathless with giggles when Professor McGonagall once again stood up.

"Before we begin the Feast, I have several announcements to make. The first, as always, is for our new students: the Forbidden Forest, as its name might suggest, is strictly forbidden. Anybody- new or old students alike- caught trespassing will face detention and a loss of House Points."

This was an announcement that had been given since long before Rose's parents had shown up at Hogwarts.

"Second, I would like to welcome to Hogwarts two new staff members." McGonagall continued. "The first, working as our new caretaker, is Jack Harkness."

The handsome man who had been flirting with McGonagall (and everybody else) grinned and waved, finishing off with a theatrical bow.

McGonagall gave him a stern look. Which he promptly ignored.

"I would also like to welcome Professor John Smith as our new History of Magic professor." The professor in question stood up, gave a small smile and an awkward wave, and then sat back down. McGonagall continued, "I expect you to show them both the respect afforded to all Hogwarts staff members."

"We show professors respect?" Al muttered out the side of his mouth to Rose.

Rose stuck her tongue out at him and then raised an eyebrow, "I'd like to show him something."

Al looked at her, surprised. "Who are you and what have you done with my sister?"

It took Rose a moment to snap out of it. This mood- whatever it was- was not normal for her. Oh, sure, she liked to flirt as much as the next person, but not nearly so overtly and not to a man (not a student, not a boy) she didn't even know.

"Rose?" Al asked again. "You alright?"

"Yeah. Fine." Rose said. She changed the subject back to Professor Smith. "Class with him should be interesting."

"You'll find out first thing tomorrow, won't you?" Al asked, stuffing his face with some of the food that had appeared moments ago. The House Elves seemed to have outdone themselves from last year. In fact, they always outdid themselves. Rose, remembering that this would most likely be the last time she ever had the chance to have their food, piled as much as she could onto her plate.

"I have History of Magic first thing," Rose confirmed.

And, sure enough, first thing in the morning, she found herself sitting in the front row of Professor Smith's classroom. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy class- well, she enjoyed some of it. Occasionally. She liked to learn the interesting stuff, like to _do _things with the stuff she learned- but she wasn't usually so eager.

There was something about Professor Smith...

Apparently, she wasn't the only one. A few of the other students seemed curious about his class as well. Even a few of the Slytherins, who had the remarkable ability to look bored despite whatever was going on, seemed curious.

And Professor Smith didn't disappoint.

"Hello!"

Everybody in the class gasped and turned around. Instead of coming out from his office, as they had expected, he had come from the back of the classroom, where the students entered.

Like the other professors, he wore an official set of robes- basic black. They were offset by the bright, blue bow-tie he had somehow managed to tie on top of his outfit. He wore a quiet grin that Rose found very strange on his face.

Not that she had ever met Professor Smith before.

"I'm sorry," he said. He was soft-spoken, but something about him screamed confidence. Often, with a new professor, it took them a while to gain any backbone with the students. It didn't look like this would be the case with the new professor. "I didn't mean to startle you."

He bounded up to the front of the classroom and Rose got a better glimpse of him. He looked at all the students as she said, "Here's how it works: I show you respect, you show me respect. I teach you things about your history that you couldn't even imagine. Square deal?"

Nobody answered him so he frowned and turned over to his desk. There, he had a list of all the students. Picking at random, he called out, "Rose Weasley?"

"Yeah?" Rose said immediately. He turned to look at her and, for a moment, Rose swore that his eyes were dark brown, filled with the same look- old and young at the same time, broken and fixed- and then they were ice blue and heartbreakingly familiar.

"Rose Weasley," he repeated, drawing the name out, as though trying to taste it on his tongue. "Square deal?"

Rose nodded. "Sounds like, yeah."

He grinned. "Fantastic."

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**AN: Sorry about the long wait and shorter chapter, but I hope you enjoy nonetheless!**


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